1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to methods, systems and apparatus for managing digital communications systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Digital subscriber line (DSL) technologies provide potentially large bandwidth for digital communication over existing telephone subscriber lines (referred to as loops and/or the copper plant). In particular, DSL systems can adjust to the characteristics of the subscriber line by using a discrete multitone (DMT) line code that assigns a number of bits to each tone (or sub-carrier), which can be adjusted to channel conditions as determined during training and initialization of the modems (typically transceivers that function as both transmitters and receivers) at each end of the subscriber line.
DSL systems are configurable to a degree that allows certain trade-offs among and between performance aspects of such DSL systems. Thus, the configuration of a DSL system often has an effect on customers' satisfaction in their use of the DSL service. DSL systems have not been capable of obtaining, recording, evaluating and/or implementing the performance aspects that are most significant to customers (users) and determining how a DSL system should be configured to accommodate such preferences.
Systems, apparatus, methods and techniques that provide improvements for identifying DSL system user preferences and for configuring that DSL system to satisfy the identified user preferences would represent a significant advancement in the art. Also, systems, apparatus, methods and techniques for implementing such user preference assessment and DSL system configuration likewise would represent a significant advancement in the art.